The present invention relates to an inflatable boat, particularly for use on flowing water-courses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a raft-shaped inflatable boat.
There are already known various types of inflatable boats, both for use on stationary and flowing bodies of water. Such inflatable boats include, among others, canoes, kayaks, lifeboats and rafts. The present invention is particularly concerned with raft-shaped inflatable boats for use on flowing water-courses, such as rivers, and particularly for use in rapids.
The conventional raft-shaped inflatable boats include pairs of inflatable lateral tubular elements which are interconnected with one another at least in the bow region of the inflatable boat either directly, with the possibility of being of one piece, or indirectly by means of an interposed, usually rigid, connecting element situated at the bow region of the inflatable boat. In addition thereto, such conventional inflatable boats have a bottom which is water-tightly connected to the tubular elements and which may also be inflatable, and possibly also a stern bulkhead which extends transversely of the tubular elements and upwardly from the bottom to form a compartment therewith.
An inflatable raft of this type is disclosed in a published German application DT-AS No. 1,103,800 in which the stern regions of the lateral tubular elements extend rearwardly beyond the stern bulkhead. The stern bulkhead is equipped with a rigid support element which serves the purpose of mounting a propelling motor thereon. This conventional inflatable boat is very wide in the stern region thereof in that the stern regions of the lateral tubular elements which extend rearwardly beyond the stern bulkhead are straight so that, when such boat is used on rough bodies of water, such as in rapids, there is the danger that waves may overflow the stern bulkhead and fill the compartment of the boat.
Another conventional inflatable boat of this type is disclosed in the German published patent application DT-OS No. 2,051,835 in which, when considered in top plan view, the buoyant body of the boat is so configurated as to resemble a letter A. In order to achieve this, the lateral portions in form of inflatable tubular elements are connected with one another at the bow region of the boat, while the lateral portions gradually diverge from one another in direction from the bow portion rearwardly and their ends are situated rearwardly of the stern bulkhead. In this conventional inflatable boat, the stern end regions of the lateral portions constitute the lowest points of the boat. This inflatable boat is constructed as special hydroplaning boat which has been designed for use with a powerful motor-driven en propelling arrangement. This type of an inflatable boat is not suited for use on flowing streams, especially since it cannot be reliably controlled inasmuch as its directional stability is extremely low when not motor-driven. An additional disadvantage of this inflatable boat is to be seen in that the stern bulkhead is easily overflown by waves when the body of water on which the inflatable boat floats is rough and the progress of the boat over the surface of such body of water is slow. So, for instance when this boat is rotated through 180 degrees or so about its vertical axis, such as during the travel on a river having a swift current, waves or eddies, the height of the stern bulkhead will be insufficient for preventing the waves which move towards the stern bulkhead under these circumstances, from flowing over the stern bulkhead and from entering the compartment of the boat.
The German published patent application DT-OS No. 2,051,834 discloses an inflatable boat having a rigid insertable bottom. The lateral tubular elements of this inflatable boat are arcuately raised in the bow region of the boat and are connected to one another by means of rigid connecting elements. On the other hand, the stern regions of the lateral tubular elements extend rearwardly beyond the stern bulkhead in a funnel-shaped fashion. The smooth insertable bottom, the specially arcuately raised configuration of the bow, and the rearwardly extending stern regions of the lateral elements facilitate the gliding or hydroplaning of the inflatable boat. Similarly to the immediately above discussed conventional boat, this inflatable boat is not suited for use on rivers or similar streams, especially on shoal water. For such a use, the configuration of the bottom of this boat particularly disadvantageous, inasmuch as the rigid and flat inflatable boat bottom is only covered by a strongly tensioned skin, which is tensioned by the inflation of the lateral elements and the forces resulting therefrom.
It will be appreciated that this bottom is extremely susceptible to perforation by sharp-pointed stones or other obstructions which are likely to come into contact with the inflatable boat from below. In addition thereto, the low and wide stern bulkhead is easily overflown by waves, and the stern region of the boat is easily laterally diverted.
For the above-mentioned reasons, neither of the above-discussed prior-art inflatable boats is suited for use on flowing streams, and particularly in rapids.